Jalen Suggs vs LeBron James: who to draft in 2026-27
Draft LeBron James in both formats: 41.4 fantasy points a game to 31.6 in points leagues, and 43rd against 46th in 9-cat. The two go close together on our board, which is our own ranking order from 2025-26 box scores, not ADP.
- Points leagues
- #76
- 31.6 FP/G, slot 7.04, $13
- 9-cat leagues
- #46
- +0.7 z, slot 4.10, $19
Game-time decision (Illness)
- Points leagues
- #22
- 41.4 FP/G, slot 2.10, $28
- 9-cat leagues
- #43
- +0.8 z, slot 4.07, $20
Day to day (Rest)
The pick in points and 9-cat leagues.
The call
Points leagues: draft LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 31.6, 22nd on our board to 76th.
9-cat leagues: LeBron James again, +0.8 in summed z-scores against +0.7 (43rd to 46th).
Category by category, Jalen Suggs is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%).
Per 36 minutes, LeBron James produces more: 44.9 fantasy points to 41.2, on 33.1 minutes a night against 27.6. He already plays as much or more, so the gap is not a role waiting to grow.
Jalen Suggs plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 94.8 for Jalen Suggs.
Slots are where our board's order lands in a 12-team snake draft (round.pick), and dollars are auction value over replacement for 12 teams with $200 each. Neither is ADP: no free draft-position feed lets us republish it.
Per game, side by side
| Per game | Jalen Suggs | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points per game | 31.6 | 41.4 |
| Minutes | 27.6 | 33.1 |
| PointsPTS | 13.8 | 20.9 |
| ReboundsREB | 3.9 | 6.1 |
| AssistsAST | 5.5 | 7.2 |
| StealsSTL | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| BlocksBLK | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Threes3PM | 2.1 | 1.3 |
| Field goal %FG% | 43.5% | 51.5% |
| Free throw %FT% | 85.5% | 73.7% |
| TurnoversTO | 2.7 | 3.0 |
| Games, 2025-26 | 57 | 60 |
Bold is the better number. The line blends 2025-26 with 2026-27 games as they are played, the same numbers the rankings use.
Per 36 minutes
| Per 36 | Jalen Suggs | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| Fantasy points | 41.2 | 44.9 |
| Points | 18.0 | 22.7 |
| Rebounds | 5.0 | 6.6 |
| Assists | 7.1 | 7.8 |
| Steals | 2.4 | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Threes | 2.8 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers | 3.5 | 3.2 |
Each per-game number divided by minutes and scaled to 36: the rate a bigger role would carry.
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9-category z-scores
| Category | Jalen Suggs | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PointsPTS | -0.5 | +0.7 |
| ReboundsREB | -0.9 | +0.1 |
| AssistsAST | +0.9 | +1.7 |
| StealsSTL | +2.3 | +0.5 |
| BlocksBLK | +0.0 | -0.2 |
| Threes3PM | +0.5 | -0.4 |
| Field goal percentageFG% | -1.0 | +0.7 |
| Free throw percentageFT% | +0.4 | -1.0 |
| TurnoversTO | -1.0 | -1.4 |
| Total | +0.7 | +0.8 |
Each number is standard deviations above or below the top 156 players (a 12-team league's rosters). Field goal and free throw percentage are weighted by attempts, and turnovers count against.
If you punt a category
Punting points, rebounds, assists and field goal percentage flips the 9-cat answer to Jalen Suggs.
| Punt | Jalen Suggs | LeBron James |
|---|---|---|
| PTS | +1.1 (#35) | -0.1 (#68) |
| REB | +1.6 (#30) | +0.4 (#50) |
| AST | -0.3 (#68) | -1.2 (#102) |
| STL | -1.6 (#127) | +0.1 (#59) |
| BLK | +0.6 (#46) | +0.8 (#41) |
| 3PM | +0.1 (#61) | +1.0 (#37) |
| FG% | +1.7 (#32) | -0.6 (#75) |
| FT% | +0.3 (#56) | +1.7 (#30) |
| TO | +1.8 (#38) | +2.2 (#33) |
Value is the sum of the other eight z-scores, recomputed with the punted category left out of the pool that sets them; the rank is among all 406 ranked players.
Week 1 (Oct 19-25)
- Jalen Suggs: 3 games (Wed ATL, Fri MIN, Sun @NYK), listed GTD.
- LeBron James: 4 games (Tue @NYK, Thu CLE, Sat MIL, Sun DET), 1 back-to-back, listed DTD.
Recent games
- Jalen Suggs: 32.1 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 31.6 on the board.
- LeBron James: 45.0 fantasy points a game over his last 10 of 2025-26, against 41.4 on the board.
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Other picks at the same spot
NBA fantasy rankings · Draft cheat sheet · Sleepers
Common questions
Should I draft Jalen Suggs or LeBron James in 2026-27?
Points leagues: draft LeBron James. 41.4 fantasy points per game against 31.6, 22nd on our board to 76th. 9-cat leagues: LeBron James again, +0.8 in summed z-scores against +0.7 (43rd to 46th).
Who wins more categories, Jalen Suggs or LeBron James?
Category by category, Jalen Suggs is ahead in 5 (STL, BLK, 3PM, FT% and TO) and LeBron James in 4 (PTS, REB, AST and FG%).
Who should I start in Week 1, Jalen Suggs or LeBron James?
Jalen Suggs plays 3 games in Week 1 (Oct 19-25), LeBron James 4. For that week alone, start LeBron James: 165.5 projected fantasy points to 94.8 for Jalen Suggs.
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 5:20 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number